Fountain pen



E. s. SEARS FOUNTAIN PEN May 29, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 11, 1946 .ay/4., .PIlIA lA/.Win15 nw f mwl Altorney.

E. s. SEARS FOUNTAINv PEN May 29, 1951 V2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June -ll, 1946 In en or 5mn/ARD SMP/4m SER Attorney Patented May 29g 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FOUNTAIN PEN Application June 11, 1946, Serial No. 675,904 In Great Britain June 15, 1945 (Cl. 1Z0-46) 6 Claims. l

This invention relates to sac self-filling fountain pens of the type in which actuation of the sac is effected from the rear of the barrel (i. e. the end of the barrel remote from the nib section) by the aid of a rotary knob or button.

Such back-actuated sac pens of arcuate spring type possess a common disadvantageshared also by the conventional sac-collapsing lever located at a side of the barrelin that, as the sac-deflating pressure is imposed on or about the middle of the pressure bar, complete evacuation of air from the sac is not feasible, as there is always a certain space within the sac in the vicinity of its closed end not occupied by ink.

A pen designed to obviateV this defect is described in my prior British patent specication 390,585, in which compression of the sac commences at its closed end, the remainder of the sac being progressively impressed and deated.

The present invention aims to improve a pen of the type described in my said prior British patent specification which enables economy in manufacture and an appreciable reduction in stresses and tension on the sac-actuating parts and sac, thereby prolonging the eilicient working life of the pen.

A fountain pen, according to my invention is characterised in that there is included in the body bore a member of inclined or angular conguration which is operably associated with or carries a presser-plate and is also connected with a rotary knob, and a bar is situated at the back of said presser-plate and is movably associated therewith; the arrangement being such that, in a sac-filling operation: n unscrewing said knob, the presserplate carrier is retracted thereby causing by the aid of a stop the engaging extremity of the presser-plate to move or slide along an inclined or angled part of its carrier and across the body bore to press against and so deflate the closed end of the sac: continuation of the unscrewing of the knob brings the back bar into operation, and said bar proceeds to carry the other end of the presser-plate i. e., the end nearest the nib, across the body bore to the opposite side, to complete the deflation of the sac. On screwing said knob back to its normal position, the movement of said presser-plate and back or tail bar are reversed and a charge of ink is induced into the sac.

According to my invention, actuation of the ink sac is effected through the retraction of said presser-plate carrier, the arrangement being such that, in a lling operation, on the unscrewing of the knob the adjacent end of the presser-` plate is, through abutment of the nearby end of a back-bar connected in swivel or hinged fashion with the presser-plate with a shoulder or other appropriate stop situated at the rear end of the body bore, caused to slide down the inclined or angled part of its carrier from the short to the long side to deflate the closed end of the sac, sac deflation is completed through the consequential angular displacement of the back bar across the bore.

Also included in my invention is the substitution for the conventional step or shank on the nib holder for reception of the sac, of' a threaded plug which is screwed to the nib holder; and wherein is formed a through passage providing direct communication of the vsac with the feed; thus increasing the length of sac available for deation.

The medium for returning the presser-plate and back or end bar across the body to normal may, be the sac itself. If the back-bar is in the form of a spring, expansion of the sac is assisted thereby but where the back-bar is rigid, it is re'-` turned solely by the sac.

Said presser-plate carrier may be of wire bent to form a trapesoid and including a loop wherethrough extends forattachment a screw, or the like, associated with the knob.

I will further describe my invention with the aid of the accompanying sheet of explanatory drawings which illustrate, by way of example and not of limitation, one mode of embodying same.

In said drawingsl Fig. 1 is a longitudinal view, partly in eleva# tion and partly in section, of thel pen prior to deation of the sac.

Fig. 2 is a similar View showing the sac partially deflated, and

Fig. 3 is a view in which the sac is fully deflated;l

Figs. 4 to 9, inclusive, drawn to a somewhat larger scale than Figs. l to 3 are detached views of certain of the component parts as follows: Fig. 4 is the sac with the plug holder; Fig. 5 is a unit assembly of presser-plate, back bar, presser-plate carrier and knob; Fig. 6 shows in plan the back-bar; Fig. 7 a side elevation of the presser-plate carrier; Fig. 8 an end elevation of the presser-plate carrier and Fig. 9 a plan View of the presser-plate.

In the several figures, like characters of reference denote like parts.

A pen body I is bored to suitable size for nearly its full length, a secondary bore 2 of smaller diameter being continued through the vremainv der: the shoulder 3.-thusfformed functions as a stop to linut outward movement on unscrewing knob 4, as the rear portion 5a of a carrier 5 of a presser-plate 6 abuts against said shoulder 3 when knob 4 is unscrewed. Situated at the back of said presser-plate 6 is a back-bar 1. Said secondary bore 2 is screw-threaded, as shown, to freely receive the threaded part 4a of knob 4, and body I is threaded externally in known manner to receive a conventional cap closure.

The nib holder 8 may be of common design outwardly, with stepped portion or shank 8a corresponding to the size of, and tting frictionally in, the main bore of body I.

A bore is formed in said: nib holder 8 for thev sunk, as shown, at the end remote from the nib I at a suitable angle.

The sac-actuating knob 4, which may be roughenedV or knurled, is made to conform with the outer shape of body I at the end remote from the nib, the stepped portion or shank 4a of the knob being threaded to correspond with the threadof the secondary bore 2 of body I in which it should move freely: said externally threaded yportion 4a of knob 4' is bored and internally threaded to receive a carrier-screw I2.

Feed 9 may be of commonv form and of suitable size and length, but an angle or slope-as shown -may be cut at the end which abuts against said threaded-plug II to allowfree ow ofthe ink to nib I0. SaidV plug II is suitably through-bored, and one or more longitudinal channels may be cut in its interior wall to facilitate ink flow: a portion of plug Il is threaded externally for free attachment in the nib holder 8. An outwardly sloping portion I Icr of plug H forms a continuation of its recess Ilia at an angle corresponding to that in the nib holder, and a countersink IIb at a corresponding angle may be made in the upper side of this enlarged part of the plug to facilitate ink flow-from sac I3.

A washer I4 of suitable thickness and preferably of plastic material surrounds the open end of sac I3, and is of suicient pliability to be readily adaptable to seat and adapt itself to the aforementioned angles of nib carrier 9 and enlarged portion of plug I I.

Said presser-plate carrier is one convenient construction, and as illustrated, may be formed from a single length of wire of suitable diameter and suiciently malleable for shaping, andv preferably protected by plating or the like; its configuration approximates a trapezoid with top or looped portion a at right angles with the two sidesl 5b, one side'beingshorter than its opposite: the bottom member 5c forms a slope or angle towards the nib point. The top 5a or part of the carrier adjacent the threaded end of knob 4 is looped at its centre, or, in other words, one end of the length of wire'is looped to freely receive said headed carrier-screw I2 secured in knob 4. The carrier is then shaped to the desired form, the free end of therwire of which it is composed nishing on the opposite side of the loop; and, in a preferred formation, this latter end is left unattached as it may bev found that attachment is not essential with the incorporation of a screw washer I5. This free end of the carrier makes for ease of assembly withregard to presser-plate 6, and also allows for a certain amount of adaptation, as the carrier should, preferably, be' a slid` 4 lng t in the bore of the body to obviate fouling or undue gripping on the wall of the bore, whilst being to a certain extent adaptable to the size of the bore.

The presser-plate 6 may be of known form in so -far as the usual narrow ribs BciFlg. 9) longitudinally and at right angles with its face are concerned, and may be a separate unit; or both plate 6 and back-bar 'I may be formed from one strip of metal by turning the strip completely back on itself at a suitable point at the nib end. Inra preferred arrangement, however, the presser-plate and back-bar are, as illustrated, separate units, the presser-plate being connected to the back-bar'at l5, the end nearest the nib point: the opposite end of the presser plate i. e. the end remote from the nib is drilled through at I 1 (Fig. 9) and is adapted for slidable connection with the sloping or angled part 5c of the plate carrier 5.

Said back-bar 1 is made from suitable metal; spring steel may be used, but experiment indicates that mild steel is quite satisfactory, as'very little strain or tension is placed upon it. In a preferred embodiment, said back-bar is a metal strip slightly narrower than the Width between the ribs 6a of the presser-plate 5, and in the recess formed by said ribs the back-bar is positioned when inactive. The end of the back-bar nearest the nib is adapted inv any suitable manner for swivel attachment to thepresser-plate 6: swivel attachment is preferred in furtherance of my object to relieve stress or strain on the movement when operative.

The opposite end 'of back-bar 1, i. e., the end adjacent said shoulder 3 of the secondary bore 2 of the body, extends beyond the corresponding end of presser-plate 6 for a suitable distance to a position slightly short of or not quite abutting against the shoulder. In this end'of the back-bar T is cut a longitudinal slot 'Ia sulciently wide to accommodate freely the short side 5b of the plate-carrier, the length of said slot 'la preferably corresponding With a certain tolerance in excess of the distance covered between thev operative and inoperative positions of the' plate-carrier 5 and knob 4 and vice versa; or, in other Words, the distance required in operation for complete sac deflation. This slot la of the backbar 'I serves as a guide for the presser-plate carrier and, during operation, the back-bar abuts against said shoulder 3 in the bore 2 of the body, thus preventing any tendency for the movement to turn. The sac I3 itself also assists in holding the movement in positions required.

The arrangement just described obviates necessity for the expensive processes of slot cutting, et cetera, in the wall of the body bore.

Said carrier screw I2 is, preferably, of metal of suitable size and common form: its thread should be the opposite to the external thread, and corresponding to the internal thread of the knob extension 4a. The head of the screw I2 projects from the knob extension 4a, so .as to leave a space therebetween which should correspond with the combined thickness of the presser-plate carrier wire andscrew washer I5, plus a slight tolerance to permit of free rotation. The end of the thread at the junction of the shank should be sufficient to act as a stop to limit the exten to which he screw I2 is xable in knob 4.

Alternatively, the attachment of the carrier to the knob may be formed, with the necessary limits, by a bore ofdenite depth in the knob 4 anda screw I2 of a definite length, the end of thebore in the knob 4 functioning as a stop to limit Ithe distance the screw is inserted. Or, the connection may be in the shape of a split presserstud of known-form, the bor'ein the knob 4 being adapted to accomodate this type of attachment.

Said washer I5 may be of common ring type, the outside diameter corresponding to the width across the inside of the two sides 5b of the presser-plate carrier, or, preferably, slightly less. In this position said washer serves to prevent fouling between the head of screw vI 2 and the loop of the-fpresser-plate carrier in known manner, but its more imp-ortant function is to support the free end of the presser-plate carrier and obviate necessity for attachment ofthe free end to the loop. This arrangement has been proved by experiment to be more than sufoient to withstand stress during the operation of sac filling, and simplies manufacture and assembly. The concentric hole in washer I5, which is preferably rof metal, should be of a diameter which allows free rotation of carrier screw I2, In a pen lling operation, on the unscrewing of knob 4, and consequential retraction of presser-plate carrier 5, the adjacent end of presser plate 6 is caused to move-down the inclined carrier component 5ci. e. from the short to the long side-and proceed by its lateral movement across the body bore to compress the sac I3 from its closed end by engagement of the back bar 'I with shoulder 3, or other appropriate stop; then back bar 'I associated at I6 with presser-plate 6 is brought across the body bore to complete the sacs deflation preparatory to the induction of an ink charge, as hereinbefore described, and rresumption of the parts to position as before actuation.

Assuming that the end of the presser-plate 5 attached to its angled carrier is X and the opposite end is Y, the complete movement would be X-Y on the outward travel of knob 4, and Y-X on the return movement of the knob, thus achieving a natural movement of sac deflation and innation.

It is to be understood apart from the effect of slight tolerances necessarily provided for in the assembly of the fountain pen parts-said presserplate 6 at no time rides along the sac I3, as the angle of the plate carrier corresponds with the distance covered by knob 4 during a lling operation: in short, the presser-plate 6 moves across the body bore in a direct line as stated X-Y,

In said X--Y, Y-X movements, the Y travel across the body bore is approximately two and a half times faster than that of X along the angle 5a of the plate carrier. This is an advantage in ink filling as the sac is almost completely filled by the time knob 4 is screwed home, thus rendering almost unnecessary the custom-ary pause essential with sac self-filling pens of conventional construction before removing the pen from the ink.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various constructions on the basis of this invention may be made to achieve the same object.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A sac self-filling fountain pen comprising in combination a body having a bore therein, a pen nib, ink feed means, a knob closing one end of said body, a collapsible ink sac arranged within the bore of said body, a presser-plate extending longitudinally over said ink sac, a

"traveling movement across the bore of said body,

presser-plate carrier of trapezoidal form having a slidable connection with the end of said presserplate remote from the nib and adapted to guide said presser-plate in a laterally traveling movement across the bore of said body, a back-bar having one end extending freely within the bore of said body, means for connecting the free end of said back-bar to the end of said presser-plate near the nib and means for manually moving said presser-plate carrierl longitudinally within the bore of said body to cause said presser-plate to be moved laterally of the bore of said body and compress said ink sac from its closed end towards its open or ink ejecting end.

2. A sac self-filling fountain pen comprising in combination, a body having a bore therein, a pen' nib, ink feed means, a knob closing one end of' said body, a collapsible ink sac arranged within the bore of said body, a presser-plate extending longitudinally over said ink sac, a carrier of trapezoidal form arranged within the bore of said body, means for slidably connecting the extending end of said presser-plate remote from the nib to said carrier, said carrier being adapted a back-bar, means for connecting one end of said back-bar to the end of said presser-plate near the nib, a slotted connection between the opposite end of said back-bar and said carrier, and means for retracting said carrier in order to collapse said ink sac from its closed end towardsits open end.

3. A sac self-lling fountain pen comprising in combination a body with a bore therein, a nib-pen and feed bar holder seated within an endof said body, a collapsible ink sac, a threaded plug secured to the open end of said ink sac and having detachable connection with said holder, a manually rotatable body closure knob, a threaded shank extending from said knob within said body, a presser-plate carrier of trapezoidal form, means for connecting said presser-plate carrier with threaded shank so that, upon rotation of said knob, said carrier will be caused to travel longitudinally within the bore of said body, and ink sac collapsing means arranged within the bore of said body and extending longitudinally over said ink sac comprising a presser-plate slidably connected at its end remote from the nib to an inclined part of the trapezoidal carrier and a back bar having one end hingedly secured to the other end of said presser plate and its other end having a slotted connection with said carrier, and whereby said ink sac will be collapsed from its closed end towards the threaded plug secured in the opened end thereof.

4. A sac self-filling fountainr pen as claimed in claim 3, in which a presser-plate carrier is of wire bent to form a trapezoid and including a loop wherethrough extends for attachment a component associated with the knob.

5. A sac self-filling fountain pen as claimed in claim 3, in which a back-bar freely engages the presser-plate carrier, for the purposel specified.

6. A sac self-filling fountain pen, comprising in combination, a body with a bore therein having a reduced diameter at one end, a nib-pen and feed bar holder fitted within one end of said body, a collapsible ink sac, a screw-threaded plug secured to the open end of said ink sac and having detachable connection with said holder, a manually rotatable knob having a threaded shank screwed into the end of said body remote the ink sac and one end of said presser-plate 10 being slidably connected with an inclined part of said trapezoidal carrier, a stop formed by the reduction in diameter of said body bore at the knob end of said body, a back bar disposed longitudinally within said body bore over the ink sac and having its end nearest the nib pen connected in swivel fashion with the end of said presser-plate remote from its connection with said trapezoidal carrier, and the other end of said back bar having a slotted connection with 8 said trapezoidal carrier to permit of its abutment with said stop, the arrangement being such that said sac may be collapsed progressively from its closed end inwards to the ink ejecting end.

EDWARD STEPHEN SEARS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 785,653 Boman Mar. 21, 1905 1,195,125 Winne Aug. 15, 1916 2,133,617 Hanle Oct. 18, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 408,882 Great Britain 1934 457,212 Great Britain 1936 

